Across the country, many students are suffering from harassment by their peers because they are—or are perceived to be—lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT), or simply because they don’t conform to people’s stereotypes about how a boy or girl is supposed to act or look.

All of us at the Justice Department, whether gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or straight, are committed to working to end bullying, harassment, and discrimination in schools against all students, including LGBT students. We enforce federal laws that protect all students from discrimination and harassment at school because of their race, sex, national origin, disability, or religion.

If you are a young person who has been bullied or harassed by your peers, or you are a parent or teacher who knows a young person being bullied or harassed, there are resources that can help you. If you are afraid for your immediate safety because of a harasser or if you’re thinking about hurting yourself or someone else—call 9-1-1. If you need someone to talk to or are looking for more information about preventing and responding to bullying, the following resources are available:

GET HELP NOW

The Trevor Project is determined to end suicide among LGBT and questioning youth by providing resources and a nationwide 24 hour hotline. If you are considering suicide or need help, call: 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386). The Trevor Project can be found online at www.thetrevorproject.org.

If you are thinking about hurting yourself, or know someone who is, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (800-273-8255). It is there 24/7. It is free and confidential. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website is www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

FEDERAL RESOURCES

StopBullying.gov, a project of the Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention, provides information from various federal government agencies on how kids, teens, young adults, parents, educators, and others in the community can prevent or stop bullying and harassment.

CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION, EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES SECTION

The Educational Opportunities Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division (EOS) works to ensure that all students are provided equal educational opportunities. Through its enforcement of federal civil rights laws, EOS protects students from harassment based on race, national origin, sex, disability, and religion. Sex discrimination includes sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination and harassment, including discrimination or harassment based on non-conformity with gender stereotypes. If you or a student you know is being harassed or discriminated against, please contact us. To file a complaint, you can visit our website: http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/edu/, call us at (877) 292-3804, or email us at education@usdoj.gov. You can find more information on filing a complaint with us here.

OTHER RESOURCES

For even more information and resources for LGBT students, you may visit: